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Jimmy Adams (golfer)

Jimmy Adams
Personal information
Full nameJames Adams
Born(1910-10-21)21 October 1910
Troon, Scotland
Died9 January 1986(1986-01-09) (aged 75)
London, England
Sporting nationality Scotland
Career
StatusProfessional
Professional wins9
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentDNP
PGA ChampionshipDNP
U.S. OpenDNP
The Open Championship2nd: 1936, 1938

James Adams (21 October 1910 – 9 January 1986[1][2]) was a Scottish professional golfer who was chosen for five Ryder Cup sides and achieved high finishes in The Open Championship on several occasions (five top-10s including two seconds).[3]

Early life

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Adams was born in Troon, Scotland.[1]

Professional career

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At the age of 14, Adams turned professional. Nine years later, he won the 1933 Irish Professional Championship. Three years later, in 1936, he won the Penfold Tournament on the British PGA and came very close to winning The Open Championship at Hoylake. Adams shared the third-round lead with Henry Cotton, but despite beating Cotton (and Gene Sarazen, also in the field that year) in the final round, Adams finished a single shot behind Alf Padgham.[3] In 1937 Adams was runner-up in the British PGA Matchplay championship, the first of three occasions he would reach the final of that event without winning it. Two years later, at the 1938 Open Championship at Royal St George's, Adams' final two rounds of 78-78 put him in second place, this time behind Reg Whitcombe.

World War II disrupted his career as little golf was played during this era in Britain. In the mid-1940s, after the war, his career resumed and he had some success. He won the 1946 British Masters (in a tie with Bobby Locke), the Silver King tournament in 1948 (tied with Charlie Ward), the Dutch Open and Belgian Open in 1949. In the early 1950s he continued with success finishing 4th at the 1951 Open Championship, winning the 1951 Italian Open, and the 1952 Lakes Open, an event in Australian.[3] In 1954, Adams was the only player to break 70 in both the final two rounds of the 1954 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale with a pair of 69s and finished fifth, three shots behind champion Peter Thomson.

Adams was selected for the 1939 Ryder Cup team, although the matches did not take place, then again in 1947, 1949, 1951 and 1953.[3] He won both his matches in 1949. In 1951, the British team all played in the North and South Open in America in preparation for the Ryder Cup matches, and Adams finished fourth in a field that contained the entire U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Adams was at Royal Liverpool before moving to Beaconsfield Golf Club in 1946. He was then head pro at the Wentworth Club from 1949 to 1952.[4] In early 1952 he became the professional at Royal Sydney Golf Club but later in the year returned to England as professional at Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club, where he stayed until 1969.[5][6][7]

Tournament wins

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Note: This list may be incomplete.

Results in major championships

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Tournament 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939
The Open Championship CUT CUT T48 T26 CUT 2 T17 2 T13
Tournament 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949
The Open Championship NT NT NT NT NT NT CUT 12 CUT T8
Tournament 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959
The Open Championship T12 T4 CUT T5 CUT T25 CUT CUT T29

Note: Adams only played in The Open Championship.

  Top 10
  Did not play

NT = No tournament
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place

Team appearances

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References

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  1. ^ a b Wexler, Daniel (2005). The Book of Golfers (PDF). Sports Media Group.
  2. ^ "Mr Jimmy Adams. The Times, 23 January 1986; p. 18; Issue 62352.
  3. ^ a b c d Alliss, Peter (1983). The Who's Who of Golf. Orbis Publishing. p. 203. ISBN 0-85613-520-8.
  4. ^ "Past Professionals at The Wentworth Club". Wentworth Club. Archived from the original on 1 December 2010. Retrieved 8 August 2009.
  5. ^ "English Pros. here". The Sun (Sydney). New South Wales, Australia. 18 March 1952. p. 28. Retrieved 15 February 2020 – via Trove.
  6. ^ "Shock move by golfer". The Sydney Morning Herald. New South Wales, Australia. 18 July 1952. p. 7. Retrieved 15 February 2020 – via Trove.
  7. ^ "Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club – History". Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2012.